Rescue crews in western Iowa were called to an area near Anita about two o’clock this morning after a young man wearing little more than a t-shirt and pants was found lying in a field. Officials say he’d been there, exposed to the 20-degree weather, for three-to-four hours.
Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren says it all began late Tuesday night, when authorities were called to investigate an alcohol party involving minors at an abandoned house nearby. Deputies found a large number of minors and others drinking, and several of them ran away. The young man’s name is not being released.
Reports indicate he was in serious condition and likely suffering from hypothermia. Sheriff McLaren says a number of charges are pending in the case. “We’ll certainly do the investigating and see who supplied the alcohol,” he says.
There may still be some individuals who are not accounted for at the scene. About nine vehicles were towed from the party. Three more vehicles got stuck in the snow when the party-goers took off as law enforcement arrived. The vehicles were towed to an impound lot.
By Ric Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic